Wednesday, October 17, 2012

So petty

Hone Harawira doesn't even have to get out of his parked car to cause a major scene...
-----NZ Herald:Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says his court appearance this morning could be criticised as a publicity stunt but he defends his actions during last week's housing protest. Surrounded by smiling supporters with flags outside Auckland District Court, Harawira said lawyers were lining up to represent him for a charge of failing to comply with a police direction. Harawira, who was arrested after allegedly refusing to move his car during a public housing protest in Glen Innes on October 11, said he had a sound track record of defending himself in court. Wearing a black T-shirt with the slogan "state houses are state assets", Harawira pleaded not guilty in court this morning.[...]"[This is] part of an ongoing battle, an ongoing struggle at Glen Innes," activist John Minto said.
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The government has reneged on it's commitment to re-house all the people they were turfing out of state houses within Glenn Innes, and the removals are being persued with clandestine aggression by the authorities - I understand this is the crux. The secondary issue is the policy generally of ethnic/poverty cleansing of privatising the Crown land they were on and the subsequent concentration in less appropraite higher-density housing. It's basically about State bullying.

I received this message from Hone (via Mana) earlier this afternoon:
-----Kia oraWent to court. 5 minutes. Spoke in Maori. Refused to accept the right of the court to charge me for defending the homeless. Recorded as a “not guilty” plea. Stood down till Nov 8 which will just be to set a date for a defended hearing. Charge is so petty, it is only a “finable offence”. Others copped obstruction and other charges and non-association orders as well. Good crowd. Good support. Good media. Good bye. Hone
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Hone is keeping it real in a way that very few MPs ever has. (The cops smashed through his car window to get to him!) This is all going down in Pita Sharples' electorate and Hone is totally owning it. He lives what he says and that is a powerful message to any potential Mana supporter. Whether these actions can cut through beyond the grass roots working class in these hot spot areas and across into the mainstream and into the opinion polling, however, is a difficult question.